Fourteen years old. I sat on my colorful bedspread in my bright, turquoise room and flipped through the latest issue of Brio, a Christian magazine for teenage girls. Lately I hated school. I wanted to get out so badly. I did not understand how girls could be so nasty and mean. The cliques, the drama, the double lives. I wanted to get out. I needed a break. I needed change.

While flipping through Brio, I saw a page with info about a missions trip they were doing to Peru. So. I applied. I filled out the 15+ page application. I asked for referrals. And I waited. And waited. Excited at the possibility. My heart so filled with a passion and desire to be obedient and serve through missions… Something with meaning.

A few weeks later… it came. An envelope with the answer I so desperately waited for. That big envelope full of information told me I was ACCEPTED. I was going to Peru!

In late June I embarked on a journey with hundreds of teenagers from all over the world. A journey that would change my life. A journey that would not only give me perspective but completely transform my heart and ignite a passion and desire to serve I never knew was possible.

::

This series is my story; the what and how of getting HERE. Not just the how I became a professional photographer, but the events, ideas, thoughts, and lessons learned along the way that completely shaped my heart and brought this almost twenty one year old girl to the place I am today. The good, the bad, the beautiful, and the ugly. I thought about doing this as a FAQ post. You know, the HOW of how I started doing photography. But to be honest, it is not a FAQ post. There was no plan or underlying idea. I did not grow up in business or with the mindset of what could be. I did not know any professional photographers growing up, nor did I take that simple business course in high school. In high school, photography was merely an idea, not even a dream. An idea (and one of MANY) that I picked to write about for my high school graduation transitions. I believe the HOW of how I got that idea, and the HOW of who I am today, starts here. In Peru…

::

June 30- July 16, 2007

Fourteen years old. In late June I embarked on a journey with hundreds of teenagers from all over the world. A journey that would change my life. A journey that would not only give me perspective but completely transform my heart and ignite a passion and desire to serve I never knew was possible. I was going to Peru. A simple page in a magazine that turned into a life changing experience.

I will get more into my reflections in PART TWO, but here is an idea of what the trip looked like…

We all met up in Florida for a few days of training. While in Peru, we performed this drama called Spellbound- an outreach tool to be performed in the different villages we would be serving in. Along with performing the drama we did various work projects such as cleaning, washing hair (with treatment as it was covered in lice), serving hot chocolate, etc. After a few days in Florida learning the drama (of which I think we went 48+hours with no sleep), our team headed off to Peru.  Sidenote: the day we were travelling down to Peru was actually my 15th birthday.

Photos: 1. Our room full of girls in Florida.// 2. Florida airport. Peru bound. // 3. Hanging out in Ecuador during our 8+ hour layover!

Performing Spellbound.

Journal entry:

july 7, 2007

wow! it is so amazing to see God working in so many peoples lives. in the last 2 days over 1300 people have accepted Jesus into their hearts. yesterday we went to a village and did our drama on a soccer field. it was amazing. we also served hot chocolate and washed their hair. their hair is covered in lice so we had this treatment stuff for it. they are so grateful and you should see the smile on their faces. this one Peruvian man was taking to our leader and he was so surprised that ”rich people” from America would want to come help them. everyday we drive for about an hour before we get to where we will be working. just the drive there is so sad to see. the kids just wander around on their own, and the streets are covered with dogs. pretty much every one of them look like they are pregnant and starving they are so skinny. seeing the kids absolutely breaks my heart. definitely puts life into perspective.

The day my heart broke. One day after performing our drama and washing hair, we were just hanging out with the kids. Our team had translators, and this young mom came up and handed me her beautiful baby. She said something in Spanish and our translator came over and told me to watch the mom and not to let her out of my sight. I was confused. (Now) fifteen years old. A stranger. From another country. That young mom handed me her baby and asked me to bring her home in hopes that she could have a better life. We had to watch to make sure the mom didn’t leave. I couldn’t imagine the thought of leaving my child with a stranger, let alone the hard decision it must of been for that mom to get to that point. My heart absolutely broke, and this photo of those big brown eyes will forever be embedded in my memory.

Point and shoot camera, taken from the moving bus, unedited, and terrible composition. This is not an amazing photo, but there is something about it. I can vividly remember the exact moment I took it. I don’t know what it is. The raw, reality of poverty I had never witnessed, nor had ever really truly understood existed. Or maybe it is the woman and young boy with a story and life I would never know. Something inside me clicked. I remember sitting on the bus the rest of the drive home, just staring at the photo burned on the back of that screen. There was something about it. I like to think that in that moment, I knew. That that moment ignited the beginning of a passion to document people– their lives, relationships, and real moments. That from that moment on; that trip to Peru on- my life would forever be changed. But it wasn’t about me. No matter what I saw. No matter what I did. No matter who I was or would become, it’s not about me. Yes, Peru changed my life. 100%. But maybe that was the point. To see that I am merely one person in a world full of people. People with stories. Stories of events that changed their lives. Stories of places, experiences and people they have come in contact with. To at fifteen, take a photo and wonder what the story was.

My focus as a photographer is to passionately document real relationships, lifestyles, and moments to cherish for a lifetime. To capture stories. Your story. I think this photo is the beginning of mine.

Everyone has a story. Everyone has a life and a journey and experiences that have brought them to where they are today. Everyone has a story. What’s yours?